“A Rupee saved is a Rupee earned.” Saving taxes is important, as one can save up to Rs. 46350** in taxes each year. There are several avenues through which taxes could be saved. As per Section 80C and subject to provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961, an individual/HUF is entitled to a deduction from Gross Total Income upto Rs.1.5 Lakhs by investing in instruments like Equity Linked Saving Schemes (ELSS), life insurance, PPF, NSC and Bank FDs.

The ‘traditional’ tax saving instruments excluding ULIPs give exposure to fixed income instruments and offer a certain guaranteed return. However if one wants to have the possibility to earn higher returns as compared to the returns earned through ‘traditional’ instruments whilst still availing tax benefits, an Equity Linked Savings Scheme could be what you are looking for!

1. SIP is a strategy whereby an investor commits to invest a fixed amount at specified intervals

2. SIP allows one to achieve tax saving in a systematic & hassle free manner: As a fixed amount gets invested automatically each month, the investor does not have to worry about making hasty last-minute lumpsum investments for saving tax

3. Law of Averaging at work – Rupee Cost Averaging at its best: investing the same amount on a regular basis will lead to one getting more units when price is low and one getting less units in case price is high.

4. Small Ticket Sizes do not impact the wallet too!

5. Focus on consistent & continuous investments – Fixed Money for Fixed Period of time to benefit from market volatility

6. Imparts Discipline in investing – The most needed quality for a long term investor